Reviewed by Alicia Glass
Director: Eitan Reuven
Producer: Eitan Reuven & Shlomi Aviner
Review Rating: 7
A quartet of survivors of the zombie apocalypse search for meaning and cause as they systematically take out zombie strongholds! Or do they?
The film was introduced to us as the very first feature-length Horror film to be shot entirely in Israel, though all the actors speak English and there are no subtitles. Not everyone is familiar with the Israeli Conscription Act, but I am, so I assumed all the characters in the film would be at least somewhat familiar with how to fire a gun. And, as far as I knew, most Israeli citizens are Jewish, so color me surprised when the film graced us with Genesis quotes as we sat through Days 1 through 6. That is where we begin, with what appears to be a dead body in a boat, floating off into the marsh in a makeshift Viking funeral. I can recall thinking, “Boy, I hope you’re planning on lighting that on fire some time soon…”
Not a single character in the film gets a name, that I could tell, so I gave them names. We begin with the Colonel (Carl McCrystal) and the Alchemist (Zach Cohen), the soldier who knows everything about guns and tactics, and his pal who can make explosives out of damn near anything given time. They appear to be systematically taking out the zombies, moving from bolthole to hideyhole as soon as they’re spotted, in general existing on the run and only for the next kill. Of course the Alchemist is curious and wants to discuss the what/why/how of the zombie apocalypse with his erstwhile companion, and the Colonel isn’t having any of it. There is a small confrontation in the hospital when a man I dubbed Infected (David Lavenski), who is indeed an infected and all-around bad man, screams I-know-yous and accusations at the Colonel before disappearing back toward where the zombies were coming from. The hospital is where our other pair is picked up, the former head Doctor (Susanne Gschwendtner) of the hospital who has interesting philosophical ideas on where the zombie apocalypse came from, and her rather bummed-out looking Daughter (Davina Kevelson). Our four survivors band together and take off, to continue killing zombies while searching for the meaning of all of this.
The narrator who speculates on dinosaurs and their end versus the current end-of-the-world status, I assumed him to be the Colonel. So much for being a complete lack of thought soldier. It turns out the meaning, or at least the beginnings, of these horrific happening, is hiding amongst our quartet. Can you guess which one holds the key?
The ending was a little I saw that coming, but then, I do watch a lot of Horror movies. It is a well-made movie and the zombies are perfectly believable, though the story itself could use some fleshing out a bit.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRuXdzUoUOo]